Our little island is not exactly known as a hub for budding musicians. It’s not that Singapore lacks talent, but musicians here just don’t have as many channels and opportunities as their counterparts in the US or Europe. However, there are a number of unsung heroes providing local talent with a jumping-off point, and Aging Youth Productions is one of these. 

Started in 2004 as a free independent webzine to showcase ‘exciting and invigorating local music talents’, Aging Youth has branched out as a record label. The music collective’s latest release was the critically acclaimed Tomorrow Is Our Permanent Address (2008), the debut full-length album from local alt-rockers B-Quartet. As for gigs, Aging Youth has put together a couple of events this month alone: the third and last edition of sound-art/ambient music series Spanking the Monkey Good and inaugural music festival Choking the Chicken. 

If you’re wondering about the events’ cheeky names, according to Aging Youth, it’s a dig at the notion that anyone unfamiliar with sound art might find such musical explorations ‘wanky’ or overindulgent. With luck, the festivals will change that perception. 

For Choking the Chicken, D+A+K+A+I (read: Dakai) – a trio of guitarists from Singaporean post-rockers Documentary in Amber and indie guitarists Sleeve – will kick off the event. Expect their show to have layers of experimental, ambient-rock guitar orchestration. Next up is the drum ’n’ bass band Breakbeat Theory, set to perform rhythm, beats and soundscape effects. With songs like ‘Goldhill’ and ‘Perhatian Baby’ that arguably rival offerings from giants of the genre like Goldie and Roni Size, Breakbeat is truly something for lovers of electronica to look forward to. Bani Haykal – frontman of B-Quartet – goes solo for the fest, accompanied only by his guitar and laptop. Think of him as the jazz-rock version of local laptop-rocker Analog Girl. Indus Gendi – a band whose music sounds like the lovechild of pop, jazz, indie and classic rock – closes the festival.

More information on Choking the Chicken.